Sykes Hot Springs Directions & Description

There was a serious fire in 2008 which closed the trail to Sykes for almost
two years. Sykes is open
again. You can see signs of the fire along much of the trail, but the area has
recovered very well. The trail is fairly clear to Sykes, though there is a few
deadfall across the trail. Most are easy to go over or around. One is best
handled by pushing packs through and the crawling under. You might want to check the
Pine Crest
Trail conditions for the latest updates on trail conditions.

Why Sykes?

Sykes Hot Springs is one of my favorite places to take first time backpackers
who are reasonably fit. The destination has some nice hot springs and a trout
filled stream. The hike is pretty. The trip is long enough that people have a
sense they have accomplished something, but short enough that it's not
overwhelming for most. The trail is easy enough to follow that no maps are
needed and there is little to no risk of getting lost. There are a number of
clear milestones, so people can easily see that they are making progress. The
conditions tend to be moderate year round so there is never a bad time to go.
Sykes is only a two hour drive from the bay area, so it can easily be done in a
24 hour period, though some people like to take several days by the hot springs and/or the river. For people who are fit, It's also doable
as a day hike. The only down side is that you aren't going to find
solitude, except maybe Tue-Thu in the middle of the winter.

Hike Description:

This trip is into the Ventana
Wilderness near Big Sur. The hike is ten mile each way. The hike starts at 400 ft elevation and hits a maximum of 1500
ft, but over the course of the hike we climbed approximately 3000 ft and descended
2000 ft. Craig suggested this should be called the elevator trail
since it kept going up and down. The destination campsite has hot springs and a stream. There are
a number of other campsites along the way. The
Pine Ridge Trail
mostly weaves through a cover of redwoods, pine and oak. The trail is typically
well maintained and extremely easy to follow. In the winter months, especially
after a storm, you might find dead fall, or short sections of trail washed
out... but these tend to be repaired reasonably quickly. April - October the
trail is typically clear of deadfall and easy to follow.

Someone in decent shape should be able to hike in in around five hours, and
come out in around four.. this is an enjoyable pace for me. Even out of shape, middle aged men can do
this hike in less than seven hours, unless they have bad blisters, in
which case it might take something like eight or nine hours. I am not
the fastest hiker, and I have done the hike 4 hour in, 3 hour out when I was
pushing myself a bit. If you want
to witness people going quickly, stop by the day before The Big Sur International Marathon and
watch people "warming up" pass you both directions.

Part
1: Getting past the state campsites

The trail head is at the far end of the parking lot of the Big Sur Forest
Service Station. There is a small kiosk and a drinking fountain. The trail
starts off level and then has some moderate up and downs as the trail cuts
through the hill side, a hundred or two hundred feet above the Big Sur State
Park campsites below. You will follow this trial for a bit less than half mile
until you descend down some stairs and cross a small creek. In the winter months
this can be a very pleasant section of the hike, and a great way to get warmed
up for the coming hill climb. In the summer months this part of the trail can be
somewhat crowded with day hikers from the state park as well noise from the road
noise from Route 1 which is just over the ridge, and stereos blaring from the
campsites below.

Part 2: Up and into the Hills

The next 2.5 miles of the trail are up hill, taking you away from the ocean.
Around 40% of this section are on exposed hills which can heat up in the spring
and summer sun, but you will can get a nice view of the ocean in some of the
clearings. You will start up a series of small switch backs as the trails gets
increasingly steep. Around 1 miles in, you will break out of the trees and start
the uphill in earnest. For the next mile the trail will be ascending almost
continuously, with some sections being quite steep. This is one of the hardest
up hill sections of the trail. The sign
indicating you have entered Ventana Wilderness is at the 2 mile marker.

The
next miles will trend upward, but there will be sections which are flat or
downhill as you cut across the hillside. Around 2.8 miles in you will find
yourself on a sort of outcropping with a large rock on your left. It's time to
celebrate because this is the end of the up hill climb you have been doing for
the last 1-2 hours. This is a very popular place to stop and enjoy the last view
you will have of the coast. Some people like to have a snack or lunch at this
spot. I like to take a very short break here to drink a bit of water and then
continue on to Terrance Camp.

Part 3: Cruising Down to the Streams

The next
four miles are much easier than the first three with only a few hills to
climb. The trail is mostly a gentle drop. Most of this section of the trail weaves in and out pretty micro
canyons. At the three mile mark is a trail on the left which goes down hill to
Ventana camp. [Sometimes the sign is missing.] At the five mile mark you will come to Terrace
camp, a lovely place to stop. The area is nicely shaded with a stream for
water. The stream can be easily crossed using stepping stones. Just passed
the creek you can go left or right. Left is continuation of the Pine Ridge Trail
which will take you to Sykes camp. To the right the trail takes you Outlaw camp.
There is a a pit toilet just up the trail toward Outlaw camp. The trail has a
slight climb as you exit Terrance camp. Around
6.5 miles in you will start down a series of moderate switch backs which take
you to the next creek you need to cross. Much of the year it is possible to
cross this creek without getting your feet wet if you are careful. The best
place to cross is typically slightly upstream where there is a large fallen log.
When the water is really running high you can cross the stream on the large tree
that fell over the stream which is maybe 200 yards upstream.

Part 4: Over the Last Hill and Down to the Springs

Once
you have passed the creek creek you are beginning the next up-hill section of
this trip. At the seven mile mark you will see a turn-off on the left side of
the trail for Barlow Flats campsite. In the next miles or so the hike will
get progressively steeper, but is still very pleasant. You know you are near the
end of this section when you reach the tree to the right, at the bottom of a
switch back. This is a nice place to stop and have a brief snack before climbing
up this long switch back. Once you reach the top of the switch back you will
have a pleasant mile or two as the trail slowly drifts down toward the river
below. Shortly before you get to Sykes the trail will descend a set of steep
switchbacks to the river below.

Part 5: Campsites & the Hot Springs

Now it's time to decide where to camp. Both sides of the river have a pit
toilets. The hot springs are on same side of the river as the trail from Big
Sur. If you want a bit of privacy, I would recommend camping on the far
side of the river. There are more campsites on the far side, and you don't have
a constraint stream of people walking past your camp on the way to the hot
springs.

To
get to the hot springs, walk down stream. You will eventually come to a
rock face sticking out from the side of the hill. If you are careful, it it
possible to climb around the rocks and continue down to the hot springs. Most
people, take the safer route, and wade across part of the stream to a jetty
(sometimes island when the water is really high). Continue from the jetty along
the left side of the river. You will pass below a pit toilet which is on a
step above the river.

Continue
down the side of the river until you see a trail heading up the hill. It
will look like you could go a bit further than the trail near the river.. but I
don't recommend staying by the river unless you want to wade / swim down the
river to the hot springs. Follow the trail up the hill. Twice the trail
will take you up the hillside and away from the river to get around small
cliffs. After the second up-and-over you will be just short of the hot
springs. You will know you are close when you smell a slight sulfur odor. There
are typically 2-3 soaking pools. One it typically up the hill, while two are
down near the river. The pools have been formed using a combination of plastic
piping to direct the hot springs output, and sandbags to hold the water in a
pool.

Keep in mind that some people
(maybe 20-30%?) treat the hot springs as clothing optional.
A little bit of etiquette can prevent embarrassment and conflicts. Since there
are multiple pools it is unlikely that all will be filled with people clothed or
unclothed. If naked soakers make you uncomfortable, go to an empty pool or one
where people are wearing suits. If you like soaking without clothing and all the
pools are filled with people in swim suits, ask if they would mind if you soak
without clothing. I am sure that all the people in at least one of the pools
would say they don't care.

Getting There:

Big
Sur is a two hour drive from Mountain View
if you don't get hung up in traffic. Take 85 south to 101
south. Take 101 passed Gilroy to
the exit for 156 west (Monterey Peninsula). From 156 you will want to take Highway 1
South. Take Route 1 past Monterey and Carmel. Big Sur is 30 minutes beyond Carmel. The entry to Big Sur Forest Service Station will be
on the left, is approximately half a mile passed the main entry for Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The trail head for the Pine Ridge Trail is at the far end
of the parking lot.

Permit Info:

You can pick up a free fire permit at the Big Sur Forest Service Station (8am-4pm). Parking is
self serve $5/night... bring exact change and a pen to fill out the form.
Parking runs until 3pm the following day. A wilderness permit is
not
required.

Weather

You can see current conditions at
weather.com -
Big Sur. The conditions tend to be pretty mild. Late Spring through Early
Fall the days tend to get into the 70s or 80s during the day, and down to the
50s at night. It almost never rains with modest bug pressure. It's possible to
ignore the bugs, but I would generally recommend bring some sort of protection.
Late Fall through Early Spring I would be prepared for some rain, with days to
be in the mid 50s to low 60s, and the nights to get down into the lower 40s.

Personal Supplies

We have a Basic Gear Check List
if you aren't sure what you need to bring as well as a few notes about
Getting Starting Backpacking. There are numerous gear
lists on the web which might give you other perspectives / ideas. You
should bring a towel for the hot springs. I sometime hike in River
Shorts which I also use when swimming the river and soaking in the hot springs.
In the colder month I save weight by leaving my swim suit behind and soak in a
pair of dark colored capiline boxer shorts with the fly sewn shut which provides
adequate coverage for modest.

The bathroom by the trailhead doesn't have heating or cooling, and only
has cold water. The bathroom on the site of the ranger station has hot water
and is heated / cooled as is the station.

On your way out, eat at the Big Sur Bakery. About 1 mile south
of the park on the west side of Route 1. Excellent wood fired oven
pizza, many other tasty items. Their chocolate pudding is really good.
If the Bakery is closed try the Rio Grill in small shopping center on your
right just as you
get into Carmel.